Bake It Happen on Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day

I’ve said the phrase “Fucking cancer” too many times to count. Just this month I screamed it when my friend Matt lost both parents within a year, I whisper it when I see a chemo selfie from my beautiful friend Karen, and I cried it reading Beth Caldwell’s blog post, titled “I’m dying,” a couple of weeks ago.

Today is Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day, and with the help of the Bake It Happen campaign, I’m attacking my frustration two ways I know how, blogging and baking.

What is Bake It Happen?

Bake it Happen is a campaign born in 2012 by the daughters of Judy Levin, Shari and Stacy, who realized they could honor the mother they lost to Metastatic Breast Cancer, spread Judy’s culinary love, and raise money for Metastatic Breast Cancer research all at once.

This year’s Bake It Happen donations are going to The Cancer Couch Foundation. Started by Dr. Rebecca Timlin-Scalera, The Cancer Couch Foundation is volunteer run, privately funded, and all donations are matched by the institutions we fund. So, not only do 100% of the money raised by TCCF goes to Metastatic Breast Cancer Research it is matched by Rebecca’s partners at both Sloan Kettering and Dana Farber.

To date, Rebecca has raised over $500k in just 6 months — and all of this has been done while Rebecca herself has gone through 11 surgeries and chemo, etc., from her Stage 3 Breast Cancer diagnosis.

Why should I support Bake It Happen and research funding for metastatic breast cancer?

There is currently no cure for metastatic breast cancer.

Approximately 155,000 women and men are currently living with metastatic breast cancer.

Approximately 40,000 die of breast cancer each year—a number that essentially is unchanged over the last 20 years. All deaths from breast cancer are caused by metastatic breast cancer.

Most breast cancer funding is spent on awareness and early detection, with only 7% going towards metastatic breast cancer research, even though metastasis is what causes breast cancer to become deadly.

Research is expensive. On average, it takes 8-10 years and approximately $1 billion for a new drug to go from a chemistry model to FDA approval.

An estimated 20 to 30% of women initially diagnosed with an early stage cancer will go on to be diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, even after initial successful treatment.

8% of new breast cancer cases are found to be metastatic at their initial diagnosis.

Women under 40 account for 5% of the new cases of breast cancer and 3% of the deaths. Metastatic breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in this age group. Women under 50 make up 27% of the new cases of breast cancer and 16% of the deaths.

Men, often initially misdiagnosed, account for 1% of breast cancer cases, and 1% of deaths.

How does Bake It Happen Work?

Every time you bake one of Judy’s recipes and share the picture on social media, money is donated to fund MBC research. That’s all you need to do. Bake one of the recipes (if desired, modifying it to suit your dietary needs or culinary preferences) and share the picture on social media.

BAKE. Choose one of Judy’s recipes, bake it, snap a pic of your baked goods before you or your family demolish your creation.

SHARE:

Post your baked good photos to the Bake it Happen Facebook page @ubakeithappen using #bakeithappen

Post your baked good photos to your own Facebook page with #bakeithappen

Tweet about Bake It Happen with something like: “All October when you bake and share, $5 gets donated to Metastatic Breast Cancer research! #bakeithappen”

Instagram your delicious baked good photos with #bakeithappen to your profile and tag @bakeithappen00 as well.

Now’s your chance to support funding for this terrible disease that has touched the lives of those in your circle, and for those in mine, like:

Vonnie Purswell, died at age 60 on February 26, 2009.
Karin Taylor, who died in January 2016.
Beverly Gall, died at age of 49 on February 12, 1998.
Theresa Cumbo, died June 7th 1998 at age 43, diagnosed at 35.
Bill Becker, died at age 46 on September 17, 2014.
Jane Welch, diagnosed at the tender age of 39 and fought until she was 52.
Colleen Mohr, who passed away at age 45.
MaryAnn Keesey, died on March 2, 2012.
Champagne Joy, died on March 27, 2017 at the age of 49.
Mary Ann Wasil
Libby Boothe
Kristen Hofheimer
Becky Dickson
Lara MacGregor
Laura Haddad
Karen O’Neil
Beth Caldwell
Erin Sipe
Rebecca Timlin-Scalera